Residents, activists slam Fairfax bowhunts for deer[VA]

The Washington Post ^ | 17 Nov 2009 | Derek Kravitz

[BGHater]

'Passionate response' at meeting leads to closure of park site

Planned deer hunts in two Fairfax County public parks are riling animal-rights advocates and residents who say the county's new bow-and-arrow deer-culling program is inhumane and dangerous.

Starting before dawn Monday, a handful of archers from Suburban Whitetail Deer Management of Northern Virginia, a nonprofit volunteer deer hunting group, went to the Colvin Run Stream Valley and Colvin Run Mill parks and hunted deer from 20- to 30-foot-high deer stands. It was unclear how many were killed, said Eric Huppert, a founder and president of the deer hunting group, but about four archers showed up Monday, and the meat collected will be donated to area homeless shelters.

The Colvin Run hunt, which is limited to members of the nonprofit group and will last until Jan. 16 except for two weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas, has been met with resistance from neighbors and animal rights groups.

A wildlife biologist from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Jodi Minion, wrote to county officials last month arguing that bowhunting is "among the cruelest forms of hunting" because struck deer sometimes die slowly. Missy Snelling of Arlington County has led the call to shut down the bowhunt program, calling it a "barbaric way to solve the deer problem." The Washington-based Humane Society of the United States also urged the county to cancel the hunt.

After 270 letters were sent to homeowners this month in Colvin Run alerting them to the hunt, residents poured into two county informational meetings to protest. The "passionate response" by several attendees led county officials to close the Colvin Run park during the hunt out of security concerns, said Vicki Monroe, Fairfax County wildlife biologist.

[BGHater]

Clowns.

Thank the guys out in the woods taking a few.

The only culling program around here has been SUV's and cars.

[Concho]

Thank Disney and the Bambi Syndrome.

[Sacajaweau]

From the mouth of an environmaentalist: I thought it was wrong to kill these hometown deer....Until I watched them...FOR FOUR HOURS...remove the glass from my daughter’s face.

[CAD Daddy]

....riling animal-rights advocates and residents who say the county’s new bow-and-arrow deer-culling program is inhumane and dangerous.

And they forgot deeeelicious!!

[maineman]

I can’t believe there is a tree..let alone a park still left in Fairfax County.

[maineman]

I can’t believe there is a tree..let alone a park still left in Fairfax County.

[Adder]

I was wondering how that peta person would feel if deer lingered for hours after being struck by a vehicle. Talk about “cruel”...

The fastest and surest way to reduce the population is to hunt them.
Immediate results and you can get a stronger and more disease resistant population at the same time.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Planned deer hunts in two Fairfax County public parks are riling animal-rights advocates and residents who say the county’s new bow-and-arrow deer-culling program is inhumane and dangerous.

So switch to bowhunts for animal-rights activists. That sounds like WAY more fun anyhow (although you’ll probably not want to fill the freezer with them).

Since they don’t think that humans are fit to share the planet with their precious animal friends, the activists ought to be all FOR this. If not, call them hypocrites.

[bobjam]

Since firearms are probably illegal in the park, the deer must be hunted with bows. That means the wounded deer lying on the ground gets to bleed to death instead of getting a quick gunshot to the head from the hunter.

[BGHater]

‘That means the wounded deer lying on the ground gets to bleed to death instead of getting a quick gunshot to the head from the hunter.’

Lol. Lol. Thanks, I needed that.

[RichInOC]

Okay, so let them hunt federal workers instead.

[Bulwinkle]

I Live in the county.. just outside of Fairfax city.

there’s a 10 acre stand of woods behind my house with lots of deer...lots of deer where I have my garden plot....

...LOTS OF DEER lying dead on the side of the road here.

Fairfax has a serious problem with deer...glad they are stasrting to work on it.

[The Big Boo]

Fairfax has long protected its watercourses by forming parklands around them. The suburban subdivisions provide a deer haven. The Va Dept of Game actually encourages urban bowhunting as one of the very few measures that can help to reduce the huge deer population is such areas. We have 12 points (I often see one while passing on a curve in a road between neighborhoods), deer grazing regularly on the shoulder of Interstate 66, deer carcases on metro lines and highways inside the beltway. A few years ago I killed a deer with my motorcycle. If you know the biology and history of Odocoileus virginianus you'd realize that Fairfax County and similar semi wooded/suburban locales are the perfect habitat for deer and they absolutely thrive here. Police sharpshooters are used in the larger parks, bowhunting is allowed on all private land. Still the herd will continue to grow as will lyme disease and habitat destruction.

[Bulwinkle]

“I can’t believe there is a tree..let alone a park still left in Fairfax County.”

Lots of parks in Fairfax, the two I run at are:

Accotink http://www.restonpaths.com/LakeAccotink/index.htm
Burke Lake: http://www.restonpaths.com/BurkeLake/index.htm
(click on the numbers on the maps for photos)

[ArrogantBustard]

I thought it was wrong to kill these hometown deer....Until I watched them...FOR FOUR HOURS...remove the glass from my daughter’s face.

I presume "them" refers to medical professionals, not deer.

[kaboom]

There are some HUGE bucks in Fairfax but hopefully these bow-hunters are targeting the doe's to reduce the population. Unfortunately, 4 hunters at a time aren't going to make a dent in the population.

Now if anyone in Loudoun County has a deer problem, please let me know ;-)

[Freddd]

Our founding of this country, was made possible, by the men and women being able to hunt for food.

[maineman]

Been to both...great places. I remeber walking that rr bridge as a kid.

[Bulwinkle]

maineman???

I went to Gould in Bethel, Dad was from Mexico, myfolks retired in Farmington... 1 sis in farmington, 1 sis in New Sharon and one in carabassette valley

[maineman]

Family is from Camden/Rockport. Parents went to Gould Academy as well. I am in Belfast now. Grew up in N. Va.